Psychological health status (emotional disorders, alcohol abuse, and life satisfaction) in the aged is assessed in a panel of subjects who have been under study for forty-five years. The antecedents of these aspects of psychological health status of the aged were measured in 1935-8 and 1954-5. These antecedents included familial, marital, occupational, health, and attitudinal factors as well as personality traits. The first data collection was undertaken by E. Lowell Kelly and involved the recruitment of 300 engaged couples for a longterm study of marital compatibility. Of these 600 subjects, seventy-four percent responded in the second data collection in the 1950's. As of June, 1980, 342 (fifty-seven percent) of the original subjects have responded in a third data collection. Another 109 of the original subjects are known to be deceased. The target number of responses is 400. The relationships of the antecedent variables to the three components of psychological health status in the aged and the interrelationships of the antecedents are studied by the statistical technique of path analysis. This analysis will permit causal inferences about psychological problems of the elderly and permit estimates of the relative contributions of early versus later determinants of psychological disturbances in older persons. The effects of biases in the original sample toward overrepresentations of better educated and more intelligent subjects and attrition biases toward marital stability, low geographical mobility and longevity will be assessed by means of stratified data analyses. The confirmed models involving antecedents and outcomes will permit estimates of the effectiveness of treatment and prevention efforts on the psychological health status of the aged. The relationships of physical and psychological health problems over time can be determined since physical symptom checklists and information from the research partner (fiance, later spouse) on physical health were gathered in all three data collections. The linkage of psychological stress and cardiovascular diseases and the social predictors of early senility can be assessed longitudinally with this data set.